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Well youíre right to be concerned about SM. It IS an issue in the Cavalier breed. The only definitive way to diagnose it is by MRI. While the Cavalier is not for everyone, those who have them love them beyond reason and wouldnít want any other breed. All purebred dogs have health issues, some worse than others and you have to know what youíre facing before you commit to any breed. We also are faced with mitral valve disease (MVD) and that is a greater issue than SM.

Many breeders in Ontario, and Canada are screening for both but you have to ask. If you find a breeder who MRIís their breeding stock youíll know they are doing all in their power to produce healthy puppies. This only clears the sire & dam though, and there isnít any way to be sure your puppy wonít get syringomyelia down the road. Or that either parent wonít either one day. Itís a progressive disease with various symptoms. The most noticeable being scratching at the neck area. All dogs scratch, but with SM they tend to do it more often and it isnít caused by fleas or parasites. And itís a frantic scratch, sometimes they make contact with their body, other times they donít. With more severe symptoms they may cry out as they do it.

Having said all this, I know of many Cavaliers who have been diagnosed, by MRI, with SM and have no symptoms. Many live long and normal lives with minor scratching. Others have symptoms controlled by drugs. Few need the suggested surgery. Studies are underway to find a DNA marker and weíre told this is closer to fruition now. It may still be a year or two, but research is making progress. The disease is the same as Arnold Chiari syndrome in humans and research is being done to help both dog & person.

MVD is a greater challenge in the breed and more Cavaliers die from heart disease than SM. MVD is found in all breeds, but itís an old-age disease. In Cavaliers it affects them younger. Some think there is a relationship between SM & MVD. Time will tell.

Youíre right to do your research but donít stop there. If you think you like the breed, go and visit a couple of breeders and meet the dogs in person. See how they react to strangers and talk to the breeder. Ask about what health testing they do on their dogs. Ask if theyíve ever produced a dog with SM or MVD. I have. Iíve also had dogs die at relatively young ages with MVD Ė the most recent was not 8 years old. Iíve had them live to the ripe old age of 14 though too. None have died because of SM, although several have had it. Most die because of MVD.

Cavaliers are a wonderful breed and I wouldnít want to live without them. I truly hope an answer is found soon to these two health issues. I, myself have lost 4 Cavaliers over the years to MVD Ė the first two were just short of their 13th birthday and the other two were 9 & 10. I miss them still, all 4 of them, but they all brought so much love and enjoyment to us that not to have had them would have made the last 20 years of our lives so much less fulfilling.

If there is anything else I can help you with, or any other questions you have, please donít hesitate to ask. Where are you located by the way? If you would like to visit and meet our girls, we could arrange something.

Since roughly 90% of cavaliers have CM and roughly 70% have SM, AND since SM is progressive -- meaning it keeps getting worse -- then it is not unreasonable to proceed by assuming that one's new cavalier will have CM and will have SM and that at some point it will need medication for SM and even may need surgery. If a pet buyer goes into the breed with those assumptions, then she will be less disillusioned if and when these things happen.

I feel it is criminal to let someone buy a cavalier as a family pet without letting them know what they may be taking on.

I get a great many puppy enquiries, some of them because I am on the Kennel Club Assured Breeder list. I always refer these people to my puppy buying advice website www.cavalierpuppy.co.uk, where there is a video from the PDE film that shows a severely affected cavalier.

If they still make the decision to buy I try to help them find a responsible, health testing breeder. I also warn them to take out a good level of pet insurance.

Nobody who has not experienced the distress of watching a much loved pet suffer can really understand what they may be taking on, but at least if they are aware that these conditions are common in the breed they may recognise pain symptoms and their dogs will not suffer because of the owner's ignorance.

Margaret C

Cavaliers......Faith, The Ginger Tank and Woody.
Japanese Chins.... Dandy, Benny, Bridgette and Hana.
Remembered with love......... Tommy Tuppence and Fonzi

Syringomyelia is a frightening disease, however, in my experience it is not common. I have seen it once in over 20 years of breeding. Unfortunately, there is no definitive way to prevent it. It remains a concern to breeders, however, it also must be put into prespective, as it is not common.

I unfortunately deleted the one with the details about the specific UK Vs US one. I'm not computer savvy enough to find the darn thing.

I'm supposed to hear back from the man with the pups shortly (see she had a bit of a cough and he insisted on keeping her until it was gone) I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I want her, but I'm not sure about it. Both parents are there so I want to check them more thoroughly.

The reason I'm still considering it is: Really, according to everyone here even if I find a reputable breeder there still is a chance of the pup getting SM.

The reason I'm still considering it is: Really, according to everyone here even if I find a reputable breeder there still is a chance of the pup getting SM.

One of the responses from a breeder was very true. There are some great breeders who have mri both parents and even grandparents, heart tested among other health tests and they will all tell you there are no guarantees. Mvd, the chance of early onset mvd from a breeder been following mvd protocol and knows pedigrees etc is greatly reduced. Getting a puppy from a breeder who mri has significant reduction on developing SM.

Problem is you would be contributing to something a lot on this forum have been trying to help the health of the breed.

Check them for what? SM and MVD and any other health problem are unlikely to be apparent, especially to someone on a brief visit.

Buying a puppy from a responsible health testing breeder gives you a better chance of a healthy puppy, and you are rewarding them for the care they have taken.

Buying from someone who does not test rewards them for not caring if the puppies they produce are screaming with pain before they are a year old.

And even if they tell you that they have a health guarantee, by the time that you have had the dog for a year, the dog has a place in your heart and there is no way you are going to return the dog to the breeder even if the dog is screaming in pain and your heart is breaking. Something to think about. And the breeder probably will not just give you your money back either.

It never hurts to check and watch them closely but be aware that symptoms of SM do not show themselves all the time. Even then they can be very easily overlooked. I saw my boy Blitz 2X before bringing him home. Both time I was able to observe him for 5+ hours and I did not see any symptoms. Not one single scratch. My vet gave him a full examination and did her version of a "neuro exam" on him. She REALLY didn't think he had anything wrong with him but gave me the referral to the neurologist anyways. On JUST a physical exam the neurologist found several signs right away. Even things I didn't see. His MRI showed a MASSIVE syrinx. The female I watched for many months before becoming convinced it was SM.

You definitely want to be on the look out for obvious signs such as excessive licking, scratching, face rubbing, sensitivity around the neck, leg weakness, etc. I also watch for red, sad eyes. Even when mine show no other symptoms I can tell they are having a pain episode when there eyes turn red and they seem sad. Keep in mind that SM is not always visible. There are good days and bad days.

I'm a very visual person and seeing things helps me a lot. Here are some videos I have found very useful in my SM research. Although I'm sure no one likes to watch the videos the more symptoms you can visually see the better chance you have of recognizing them. This is how I figured out what was wrong with my puppy when 3 different vets said he was fine.

I would also highly recommend going to youtube and searching for "cavalier king charles syringomyelia". You will see a wide variety of dogs affected. Then you will get an idea on just how much the symptoms of SM can vary!

Also see how the parents handled exercise and play. If they seem short on breath or cough that could indicate heart problems. Its not a guarantee but both of mine with the onset of heart problems get short on breath after about 5 minutes of play.

Watch hindlegs very closely. Stiff knees or an awkward walk could indicate luxating patellas or even SM. Advanced stages may be noticeable.

The dogheirs link said something I don't think I ever saw or picked up on Rusbridge et all state average lapse time between first sign and diagnosis is 1.6 years. I hope as more vets are aware and people, that will decrease. I notice the video has pauline and dylan also.